


Half-Life: Borealis

by Zingogh



Category: Half-Life, Portal (Video Game)
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:47:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28364916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zingogh/pseuds/Zingogh
Summary: This is my own version of epistle 3 cause I thought the ending sucked! Major spoilers ahead for every Half-Life and Portal game except HL:Alyx (there will be references to it though). Critiques are always welcome!
Relationships: Gordon Freeman/Alyx Vance
Comments: 3
Kudos: 12





	1. Set in Motion

**Author's Note:**

> I mostly decided to write this story for myself so don’t expect the writing to be any good. I’m just trying to put my ideas out there.  
> There are disturbing topics like gore n stuff presented in this so viewer discretion is advised. Content warnings will be presented before each chapter (if you think there should be a specific cw before a certain chapter please tell me).  
> Updates irregularly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: none

The sun's rays glistened down over the wheat field surrounding Chell. She stood still for a moment feeling the warmth on her skin. The sight was almost overwhelming, and she could not get enough of her surroundings. Taking in a deep breath, she took a couple of triumphant steps away from the shack that had once held her captive. After all this time, she had finally been liberated from the shackles of the facility. She was free. 

A wide smile stretched across her face as she looked around again, full of ecstasy. Her gaze fell back on the shack. Next to it was the charred Weighted Companion Cube she missed so dearly. The two of them could go on many glorious adventures together. There was a big, beautiful world full of wonder waiting for them.

She then looked around at the wheat. As she grazed her hand over the soft grains, she tried to recall if she had ever seen it before. She could not.

Her eyes then landed on the sky. It was full of white puffy clouds that cast wide shadows over the land. She wanted nothing more than to reach up and touch them.

Chell felt a soft chuckle erupt in her throat. With her newfound freedom, she felt on top of the world. Nothing could stand in her way anymore. Nothing at all.

Upon observing her surroundings, she spotted an unusual man staring at her from a distance. He wore a dark blue suit and held a black briefcase in his right hand. A smile spread across his wrinkled face once she noticed him.

"It's about time, my dear." Chell heard a slow, grating voice inside of her head. Its unnatural inflection made her blood run cold. In an instant, she appeared in an unknown plane of darkness where time seemed to stand still. Among the curtain of black, the strange man stood face to face with her. His gaze was a piercing blue that looked as if it could read her every thought. Everything about his demeanor was off-putting from his eyes to his appearance.

"My employers have been waiting a long time for your escape. Your... Perseverance has proved to be a valuable attribute."

What on Earth was he talking about? Did his employers know about everything she had done down there? Chell wanted to back away, but she was frozen where she stood.

"I am afraid, however, that I cannot take you directly to them at this moment. There are still... Some things you need to take care of." He paced around her in a steady circle as he spoke, like a predator observing its prey. The observational expression he held was enough to send shivers down Chell's spine. It made her feel uneasy as a sickening feeling swelled in her stomach.

"Before I let you go, there is something I must tell you... No one I've relayed this to has heeded the warning. Maybe... You'll be the first..." His breathing faltered as he brought his face up to her ear. Chell closed her eyes tight, bracing for whatever information was about to come her way.

"Prepare for unforeseen consequences..."

Almost as quickly as he came, the man was gone. Chell was back in the wheat field all alone. She held her chest. Who—no—what was that? She hoped she would never have to see his face ever again.

Without warning, the sound of turbines filled the air. Looking over at the horizon, she noticed a fleet of ships flying over to the field's parameter. As they came into view, Chell noticed there was something off about the way they looked. It almost seemed as if they were organic. Or at least used to be at some point.

One of the dropships in the fleet landed a few yards from where Chell was standing. Three armored men exited from the ship and spotted her. They wore black masks with menacing bright blue eyes over their faces. One of them spoke with a rough synthetic voice to the others, but she could not make out what they were saying from the distance. He was staring at her chest—at the Aperture Laboratories logo embedded on her top.

"Get her." Chell's heart dropped. Without hesitation, two of the men rushed towards her. Alarm bells went off in her head. Panicked, she bolted away from them, leaving the shack and her Companion Cube behind. Running seemed to sap away all the energy she had left. The lack of adrenal vapor in the air proved difficult for her to keep going as long as she was used to. The exhaustion from what she had gone through in Aperture was taking a heavy toll on her body. She felt as if she could give out at any moment.

Then she tripped over her own feet. She tumbled to the ground with a hard thump, allowing for the men to catch up. They grabbed her arms and dragged her back to the dropship. Their grips were tight and firm against Chell's struggle. Once they entered the ship, she was tossed onto the hard floor. Her last glimpse of the outside was from behind the unblinking stares of the masked men. The hatch closed behind them, and they were airborne.


	2. The Proposition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: mania, ableism

"Good morning."

A robotic voice echoed inside of Doug's head as he rose from the place where he was put to rest.

"You have been in detention for—4910—days. This courtesy call is to inform you that the Relaxation Vault you have been stationed in is temporarily offline. Please contact a testing associate if you think there has been a mistake."

"Where am I?" Doug thought aloud as he observed his surroundings through groggy eyes. His tiredness soon turned to panic when he remembered where he was.

_Good, you're finally awake! What is the last thing you remember?_

"The facility had been destroyed... The turrets came and... My leg!"

He snapped his gaze to his thigh where a turret had shot him. Not even a mark was present. The only evidence he could see of the incident was a bloodstain and bullet hole on his pant leg. Had he imagined it? No, he was on his antipsychotics at the time.

Doug swung his legs over the side of the Relaxation Vault bed and scanned the room for his Weighted Companion Cube. It was nowhere to be seen, but he could still hear its voice.

_Are you forgetting someone?_

"Chell!"

Doug got to his shaky feet more frantic now than when he woke up. The room he was in seemed to have no exit. Through the closed-off walls, he could hear something coming his way.

"Hello, and welcome to the Aperture Science Computer-Aided Enrichment Center." A synthetic male voice said from the other side. Doug could not tell if it was real or a figment of his overactive imagination. It did not sound anything like the announcer that woke him up.

"We hope your detention in the Relaxation Vault was an enjoyable one." It sounded as if it had recited this monologue over and over again nonstop. Doug looked around trying to figure out which direction the voice was coming from.

_Don't trust him. He's working for Her._

"Even though we haven't previously gone over your records, we're ready to begin testing."

"Testing? Who are you?" Doug said backing up against the wall. He had no idea what was going on. The last thing he remembered was the enrichment center being destroyed, and now it was operational again. How long did the computer say he was in detention again?

"I'm one of the Aperture Science Testing Associates for this sector. We would've begun testing with you sooner, except our Advisor was offline for several years. We hope you understand the delay."

"What are you talking about?" Doug held his head. "I'm not a test subject! I'm an employee! A-a scientist!"

"A scientist?" The voice broke away from its monotone inflection, turning to one of curiosity. "Humans haven't been employed here in over a decade. You're not an android of sorts?"

"Please, just get me out of here..." Doug slumped down to the ground still holding his head. He was shaking in fear of being trapped in this horror filled place. It felt as if the walls were closing in on his chest, pushing his heart and lungs into the wall where he was positioned.

"I'm sorry but I'm not sure I can do that." The voice said after a moment of silence.

The room was starting to feel more like Hell. As the moment dragged on, Doug's breathing grew labored. His chest was starting to hurt and his vision was starting to blur. It was not long until he would begin to break down.

"I can't be in here... I need to know if she's okay... I need to!... I... Oh my God! Get me out of here!..." His words started bunching together in an incoherent ball of nonsense.

"What was that? I can't quite make out what you're saying!" The voice said in response to hearing the gibberish.

The walls of the small room began to crumble and topple over Doug the closer they got. They bludgeoned his skull and bruised his flesh. His eyes were shut tightly as the world around him fell apart. He screamed out as much as his weak, crushed lungs could manage.

Then the entrance panel on the door opened.

"Wow, you weren't kidding about the human thing."

Doug looked up from his curled position to see the entire room was intact. In the center, a core hung from his management rail. His gray optic was fixated on Doug in awe of the real human scientist before him.

"I never thought a human could actually be a scientist! I thought they were just lab rats for us to test on. Are you really capable of such intelligence?" The core seemed unaware of Doug's distress, too caught up in his fascination.

_Don't answer him. He's untrustworthy. He'll lead you straight to Her if you say anything!_

Doug placed a trembling hand over his mouth and looked down at the floor. He wasn't going to say another word about his past employment.

"You're not talking now? Are you shy? That's okay, you can tell me all about it during the test! Come on!" The core still egged him on. "Our Advisor would love to hear about it."

"I need to get to the Relaxation Center..." He finally looked at the core in the eye. "Please... Please take me there..." The core looked confused by his request.

"The what? No such place exists! Maybe I was wrong about you—"

"What? I need to know where she is! Please! I need to know if she made it out alive!" Doug interrupted him and clung to his handlebars, almost shaking the core with his trembling hands.

"Hey! Get off of me! I don't know what I was thinking. All you humans are so primitive!" The core managed to shake Doug off with some effort. He fell to the floor in a mess of emotions. Tears stung the corners of his eyes.

"I'm sending you straight to our Advisor. She'll know what to do with you." The core turned around, and the floors started to rumble from underneath the two of them.

_Look at what you've done! He's taking you right to her! You're such an idiot sometimes! You could've gotten out if you would've just shut up!_

Doug did not move from his spot on the floor. As the box was transported through the enrichment center's floors, he could feel the rhythmic vibrations of the room's cogs through the floor. They were not enough to calm him down. If anything, they heightened his dread of what was to come.

The core was still in the room with him, controlling the path the box was taking through the facility. He was still hanging from his management rail, oblivious to anything around him.

Doug got to his feet, trying not to arouse suspicion with the machine. The core had no idea. Everything in Doug's view was fixated on the core. The bed behind him, the walls, the vibrations in the room, everything was gone. It was only the two of them. He began to tiptoe towards the sphere in anticipation. His heart raced in his chest, and he heard the voice in his head screaming at him to stop. Ignoring it all, he held his breath as he came closer and closer. Going in for the kill, he grabbed onto the core with his quaking hands and tried to pull the sphere from his rail.

"What are you doing?" The core's voice quivered as he tried to get the deranged man away from him. "You're going to get us both killed! Let go of me!"

Doug would not let up. The harder he pulled, the more the box started to sway back and forth, knocking into neighboring rooms and catwalks. Except, he did not notice at all. All of him was focused on derailing the core.

"Stop! You're going to—" In an instant, the core was yanked from his rail and thrown to the opposite side of the room. Doug then snapped back to reality and hunched over, gasping in deep breaths. 

A loud creak resounded from above them. Before Doug could inspect the sound, the box began to fall from its suspension. Both he and core screamed as the room came crashing down in the facility's depths.

By chance, the fall was not long-lived, and Doug managed to escape the box's capture with minimal damage. Everything was in immense pain nonetheless. Crawling out with all his leftover strength, he came into view of a vast array of tunnels bore through the walls into the adjacent earth. Doug did not remember anything like this from before.

"Oh no! We're-we're not supposed to be down here!" The core's optic shifted from all angles. His singular pupil was a speck in his black eye. Along with his hysteria, his chassis was sparking with every movement. He looked beyond repair.

As Doug freed himself all together from the box, the core yelled after him in a frightened, garbled tone:

"No! D-d-d-don't go out there! It's dan-dangerous!"

Doug ignored him. After what happened, he made it a priority to never speak to any cores he came across again. Now he just needed to find a way out.

Getting to his feet, he observed the the burrows surrounding him. Anticipation culminated in his gut as the thought of escape slapped him right in the face. After he found Chell, the tunnels would be their ticket out of the facility. A small smile crept onto his face as he looked through the dark holes.

The sound of hissing filled his eardrums as he noticed a insect-like creature crawling through the tunnels right for him. Pulling away from the hole, his smile faded as more of the large creatures came piling out of the walls. They were large, reaching to his waist, and quick on their long legs.

Panicking, Doug scanned the area for a way out. He spotted a rusted ladder leading to a higher platform. As the insects darted closer, he lunged for the rails, trying with all his might to scale it. His shaking hands made for a difficult attempt to climb, and he stumbled over his legs a few times. He managed, however, to get a steady hold on the rails and climb up in the nick of time. The creatures crowded beneath his feet, just missing the opportune moment to attack. Their growls and hisses echoed through the area.

Doug looked down at the insects, relieved that he was able to avoid getting mauled to death. His triumph was not long lived, however. Some of the insects unleashed pairs of glossy wings and flew up towards him. They latched onto the ladder and onto him. Their sharp appendages pierced and scratched his body as they tried to pull him down to the swarm below. Doug tried punching and kicking them off to no avail. There were too many of them. He had no other choice but to scramble up the ladder and hope for the best.

After managing to avoid imminent doom, Doug made it up to the platform. His safety was not long lived, however. His eyes grew wide as he came face to face with a line of turrets, all of which had their guns drawn.

"There you are!" One of them said in it's innocent-sounding voice. Doug ducked down to the floor as they began to fire. To his surprise, they did not attempt to shoot him. Instead, he heard pained screeches behind him. Looking back, he saw that the turrets were gunning down the creatures as they flew up to the platform. They exploded in a bloody mess of parts as the bullets shot through their abdomens.

Doug kept his head low as he made his way out of the turret's firing range. Once he thought he was far enough, he fell to his hands and knees, exhausted from the struggle. He let out steady shaky breaths as he tried to regain focus on his objective. The place had changed so much since the last time he had been awake. He felt that his attempt to find Chell and escape forever was hopeless.

"Thank you for assuming the party escort submission position." A mechanical voice spoke above him. Doug looked up in terror at the familiar Party Escort Bot towering above him. Its purple optic eyed him up and down before picking him up by the collar of his shirt. Doug's attempt to escape was futile. No one could escape the Party Escort Bot.

The machine was carrying him in the exact same route the core was taking him before: straight to Her chamber. Doug felt defeated. A million thoughts raced through his mind at what She might have in store for him. She could burn him alive, rip off all of his fingers one by one, or even display his still living body as some sick decoration in the lobby. With her limitless potential, anything was probable.

The sound of the chamber door opening snapped Doug out of his trance. Awaiting for him inside was Her. She looked in perfect condition, which surprised him. The last time he saw her was when she was blown to pieces by Chell, and now she looked as if nothing had ever happened to her.

"So my testing associate wasn't lying after all. You really are still alive after all these years." The Party Escort Bot placed Doug on the floor in front of her. Her menacing chassis towered over him like he was a small ant. The sight of her brought back the memories of her personal genocide. Everyone Doug had known died by her hand, and she got away with it.

A large claw came down from the ceiling and grabbed Doug off the the ground. She brought his face right up to her's as she observed him. She watched his fruitless attempts to remove himself from the claw's grasp. She realized his fear and took pride in it.

"If I couldn't have killed you, I thought maybe your paranoia would do the job. Looks like I was wrong. I have to applaud you for avoiding me for this long." She let her slow clap processor reverberate throughout the chamber as if to mock him.

"Where's Chell? What did you do with her?" Doug managed to yell out at her, catching her by surprise. Her yellow optic narrowed at his statement.

"Chell?... I don't know who that is. Is she another one of those fake personalities you talk to?"

"You know who I'm talking about!" His voice shook even more with each word he blurted out.

"Listen, rat, I don't know who you're talking about. But if you mean that thorn in my side psychopath, I let her go. She was such a hassle to kill."

"She's alive?" Doug's gaze softened at her words. He never thought she would ever let someone go.

"Yes. I let her go to the surface. Now all I have to do is sit back and relax without a care in the world for her!" She let out a small laugh.

"I need to go up there." The feeling of determination started to rise in Doug's gut. Any chance he had at finding Chell, he would take. Even if he had no chance anymore, he was still willing to take the risk.

"Hm... Maybe that can be arranged..." She said in a soft voice after a moment of thought. Doug perked up at her words.

"Not too long ago, I found a vault filled with humans in the old condemned section of the facility. I ended using them all as test subjects... And now they're all are dead." She started to lower her claw, bringing Doug closer to the floor. As her grip loosened on him, he fell to the ground on his knees.

"In exchange for your freedom, I want you to find me some potential test subjects on the surface. I don't care who you find. I'll take anyone, really."

"What? That's asinine! For what you've done, you don't deserve new subjects!" Doug rose to his feet.

"I see you don't seem to care about the future of science anymore. It's a shame. No one would notice if a few humans were missing, would they? If anything, this is the least harmful thing I could make you do in exchange for freedom." She chastised him for his stubbornness. "Think about it, you'll never have to see me again, and you can go off and... Do whatever it is you do best. Like that vandalism you left on my walls."

Doug contemplated her offer. The voice in his head was telling him that this was the opportunity of a lifetime, but he could not shake off the feeling that someone new would have to go through the horror Chell had to. Then again, what other choice did he have? Saying no meant he would be trapped in his own personal Hell for the rest of his life. He was not sure he could take much more of it.

"I'll do it." Doug said in a conflicted voice as his gaze fell to the floor.

"Excellent! I'll send a lift for you." She looked away from him as she summoned an elevator from the ceiling of her chamber.

"Remember this: if you don't find anyone in fourteen days, I'll have you brought back here and forced to test for the rest of your sad life." She said as Doug entered the lift. He looked at her with a frightened expression as he was taken away.

As the elevator rose high above her chamber, She proceeded to broadcast a message throughout the facility:

"The Cooperative Testing Initiative Subjects are to report to the Advisor's chamber immediately for a new task. Don't be late."

It did not take long for the two personality constructs, ATLAS and P-Body, to arrive in her presence. The two of them carried a sense of enthusiasm for the special task that would be placed upon them.

"I have a very important job for the both of you. I just released the last remaining human in the facility to find more test subjects. Since he probably doesn't have the competence to do anything, I want the two of you to follow him, keep him in line, and bring back any future test subjects he finds out there." A panel in the floor opened in front of them revealing two Aperture Science Handheld Portal Devices. Both of them were color coordinated for their designated user and equipped with a separate accessory attached to the bottom of the muzzle.

"I upgraded your portal devices with a compartment for conversion gel. You may remember it from when you explored underneath the facility." She allowed for the androids to admire their devices' new addition for a moment before continuing. 

"If that rat doesn't find any future test subjects in fourteen days, I want you you bring him right back here. Got it?"

The androids nodded in agreement to Her wishes. She always found their enthusiasm a valuable asset to the future of testing.

"Good, good. Don't come back empty handed." Before they could take the next lift up to the surface, She stopped them with one last statement:

"One more thing... If either of you happen to find Chell out there, make sure she doesn't see you... I can't bear to see her again if she wants to come back..."

The two androids looked at each other in confusion at the statement before boarding the lift to the surface. She watched them leave before they were out of view.

———

_Pst! Down here!_

As Doug waited for the lift to reach the surface, he heard the voice of his Companion Cube in his head again. Looking down at the floor, he spotted it sitting in the corner all alone in the makeshift bag he used to carry it around in.

"How did you get here?" He asked as he picked up the bag and slung it over his shoulder.

_That's none of your concern. What you should be worrying about is where you're going to find Chell. If you find her, she could get you out of this situation you got yourself in._

"No, I-I can't ask more of her. She's already done so much for me. She must think I'm so selfish!" Doug shifted in place and brushed the hair out of his face. He felt awful for what he put her through. She deserved better than what she got.

_She wouldn't know the difference..._

The elevator started to come to a halt as it inched closer and closer to the surface. Doug held onto the bag's strap in apprehension at the thought of being outside again. He was scared that everything would be different from the way he left it all those years ago. Whatever was awaiting him out there, he felt he was not prepared to see it.

The doors of the lift opened up revealing the vast open space of absolute nothingness. Where had everything gone? Doug stumbled out from the shack onto the cool ground below. The feeling of earth beneath his feet felt foreign to him. As he scoped out the area, he took note of everything different. For starters, the entire parking lot was nowhere to be seen. It was replaced by a extensive blanket of wheat that only God knew where it ended.

"What... Happened out here?" For a moment, Doug felt as if he were the last human on Earth. The vacant area was enough to remind him of his crippling loneliness, which the lack of anything was hopeless to elevate. The only idea he had of where to go was the Aperture Science Boarding Complex standing a few miles from the facility. It was where all the employees lived off business hours. Even then, he was not sure it was still standing. Taking one last look at the shack, he noticed a charred Weighted Companion Cube sitting by its lonesome. He approached it with caution and placed a hand on it. It was Chell's cube. It had to be. He remembered when her hand was forced to incinerate it.

"I'm going to find her... I promise." He said to it before hitting the trail towards his next destination.


	3. Awoken To Lunacy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: blood, brief descriptions of injuries

Dark, dark, and darker. There had not been a single soul in this void for a long time. Not a single soul but one. Adrian had been held captive here for an unspecified amount of time for reasons beyond his understanding. Every day he remained stationary, forced to relive the memory of the worst day of his life on loop. However, today was different. For the first time in a while, he felt awake and alive, almost as if he had been resurrected from death. The passage of time he had spent here did not affect his physical structure, and he awoke like it was another ordinary day. 

His vision materialized a familiar figure in view. Its blue eyes shone with interest making the skin on Adrian's back crawl. It was that government man. The G-Man that had impeded his escape from Black Mesa. The G-Man that had reactivated the Black Ops' atomic bomb. The G-Man that kept him in this void.

Adrian watched each step the man took with caution. His eyes narrowed once both men were only a few feet away from each other.

"Don't take another step..." Adrian took a defensive stance as the G-Man crept closer. He stopped and held up his hands as to not invite injury. Along with that, a demented grin spread across his lips. The deceptive action along with his expression made Adrian's blood boil.

"Corporal..." He began. "You know as well as I that I mean... No harm." Each breath in between his words was uneven.

"No harm? Then why the hell am I here?" Adrian raised his voice, angered by what this man had put him through. The G-Man took a couple of steps closer to him.

"You will know soon enough. For now, it's time you wake up... Wake up... To the world you once knew..."

Adrian's vision blurred as the void around him started to form into an unfamiliar space. The last thing he saw before everything changed was the spine-chilling smirk of the man standing in front of him. His eyes shot open to a black ceiling above him. Holding his masked face, he sat up at a steady pace as to not arouse the growing headache in his mind. A groan left his mouth.

"Oh, thank God you're alive! I thought I was stuck here with a dead human!"

Taken by surprise, Adrian's head shot down to where the new voice was coming from. A spherical robot with a cracked optic was staring at him. His blue pupil looked at the unfamiliar face with intrigue.

"Hello!" The robot used his top handlebar to wave at him. Adrian stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

"Uh... Who are you?" He asked unsure if he should engage.

"Look at that!" The robot burst out with joy making Adrian jump. "You can actually talk! You know the last human I had the displeasure of meeting didn't even say a word to me. How rude is that? She's the reason I'm stuck up here in the first place!"

"Wait..." Adrian got to his feet, trying to remain steady. "Where are we, exactly?"

"Why, we're in space. On the moon, actually."

"The what?" Adrian's voice came out as a scream, and his body tensed up in shock.

"Yeah, kinda drab up here. Luckily, I got picked up by some guys, they didn't say a word to me either, and they brought me their moon base. Pretty neat, huh?"

Adrian had trouble keeping his balance after what he heard. He looked around the room for a window or any sign that the robot was lying to him. Much to his displeasure, there was not anything to prove or disprove his statement. Adrian leaned on the nearest wall to gather his thoughts.

While the sphere was talking away about his experience on the celestial base, Adrian inspected himself to make sure he had some sort of protection. All of his weapons were gone except for his PCV. At least he had that going for him. His gaze then trailed back to the sphere. He did not seem to notice that Adrian was not listening.

"Hey, uh—What's your name?" Adrian interrupted him.

"The name's Wheatley. Smartest personality construct in the universe and most handsome!" The robot seemed to pat himself on the back with the latter statement.

"Right. Wheatley, do you know how long I've been in here?" Adrian asked as he started coming closer.

"Hmm... a couple of hours give or take. The blokes that brought you didn't fill me in on what exactly was going on."

The both of them then turned their gazes to the black wall where the sound of typing was heard on the other side. A panel on the wall opened up revealing an armored man with a black helmet obscuring his face. His soulless blue eyes stared right at Adrian. He approached the two of them at a steady pace, drawing the handgun holstered on his side.

"Come with me." The man stood only a few inches away from them with the gun's muzzle positioned at Adrian's chest. Adrian looked at him for a moment before grabbing the side of the gun and twisting it out of the masked man's grasp.

"Give me one good reason to." Adrian said as he aimed the pistol at the man's head. The man put his hands up, no knowing how to react to the situation.

"They're watching you." The man said under his breath. All of a sudden, a siren blared through the room. Adrian's eyes darted to the ceiling where he noticed two cameras watching him from separate corners.

"Son of a bitch..." He pulled the trigger on the pistol and shot the masked man in the head. He fell over dead with the faint sound of a flatline emitting from his radio. Blood pooled out all over the floor from the gaping holes in his head. Adrian began to make his way to the exit panel, cocking his handgun in case more of the soldiers awaited ahead. 

"Wait!" Wheatley stopped him before he left. "If you're planning on going back to Earth, can you take me with you? There's... Someone I need to find down there."

Adrian rolled his eyes and picked the core up by his top handlebar.

"Fine. But I need you to be quiet, okay?"

"You can count on it, er... What's your name?"

"Uh, call me Adrian."

———

The two escapees ventured through the halls of the moon base, managing to avoid capture and execution by the narrowest of margins. Some encounters included squads of soldiers comprising at least four at a time. It all too reminiscent of Adrian's time in Black Mesa. No matter how hard he tried he could not shake the memories away.

Every few minutes, a warning resounded from the loudspeakers hanging from the ceiling. The voice was feminine but lacked any inflection.

_Alert: unidentifiable individual detainment breach._

"Hey Wheat, you wouldn't happen to know anything about this place, right?" Adrian asked as he looked through the halls for any more aggressors. 

"Uh... No. No, I don't. Though this way looks kind of familiar from when they brought me here. I think we might be close to, uh, whatever exit they have." Adrian sighed at his companion's words. Finding their way around the place was tedious enough with the identical halls and soldiers lurking around every corner. There was not even any indication on the walls as to where they were going. Only smooth black. It was any wonder how he made it this far with an uncharged PCV.

Turing around the nearest corner, the two of them spotted a wide entranceway with a stairwell leading upwards.

"Oh, oh! That's it! Up there's where we can escape!" Wheatley said with hope in his voice. Adrian looked at him for assurance before making his way up the stairs. Not long after his ascent, heavy footsteps stomped behind them. Gunshots echoed throughout the stairwell as two of the soldiers attempted to detain them. Adrian was quick to fire back, killing one in no time and crippling the other.

Once they reached the top, the two of them were met with more soldiers standing guard of a control panel mounted on the far wall. The ceiling had a large window, showcasing the vast expanse of space above with Earth in view. The adjacent walls appeared to have some sort of escape pods connected from the outside.

Adrian open fired on one of the guards as soon as they came into view. The one fell to the floor with three bleeding bullet holes in his head. The other held fire on Adrian, his hand keeping steady as he pointed it at him. The two of them remained in a standoff for a couple of heartbeats before Adrian attempted to fire. His gun clicked when he pulled the trigger. He was so caught up in the heat of the moment that he failed to realize he was out of bullets. 

"Ha! What're you gon—" The soldier was interrupted by a forceful pistol whip to the face. He fell to the ground holding his cracked eyes. Blood leaked between his fingers as he lay seething in pain. Adrian then held Wheatley in two hands over his head, preparing to bludgeon the soldier to death.

"Hold on, what are you doing?" Wheatley said as he was raised. His singular pupil shrank when he realized what was going to happen.

Wait, wait, wait! Plug me into the computer! I can figure out a way to get us out of here!" The core said to Adrian before he could do any more damage to the soldier. Adrian brought him back down and located a stray cord. He jammed it into Wheatley's back port after some fumbling.

"Alright. I'm gonna need to hack this system so I can, uh, access an escape pod..." Wheatley said as he tried to concentrate. His optic diverted from Adrian's gaze. " Can you look away? This will only take a moment." He asked looking back at his companion for affirmation. 

"Ugh, fine." Adrian looked back down at the soldier who was trying in vain to crawl towards his dead partner's submachine gun. Specks of blood littered the floor in a trail from where he was attacked. Without hesitation, Adrian held the soldiers head in both hands and snapped his neck with a loud crack. The sound started Wheatley, breaking him out of his concentration.

"Ah! You alright there, mate?" He asked from over the panel.

"Yeah. Just taking care of something." Adrian said as he picked up the submachine gun the deceased soldier had his eyes on. This time, he made sure it was full of ammunition. All of a sudden, a loud emergency alarm resounded through the room.The announcer's voice sounded a different warning.

_Alert: core meltdown imminent. Evacuate the premises immediately._

"Unplug me! Hurry! I just made a big mistake!" Wheatley yelled to Adrian in a frantic voice. His optic was shifting to all corners of the room. Adrian yanked the cord out of the core and brought him to one of the three escape pods. He put Wheatley in one and looked around the room for any other soldiers.

"Wait here for a sec." He said bringing his gun up.

"We don't have time! C'mon, mate!" Wheatley's words failed to reach Adrian as his fired bullets into the side panels for the other pods, rendering them unusable.

Before the remaining soldiers made it to the room, Adrian and Wheatley had locked themselves in their respective pod and were launched on course to Earth. Their coordinates were set to a place called Stara Prospekt, a location unfamiliar to the two of them.

The two of them sat in silence as their escape pod traveled through the vacuum. Adrian's body hunched over as the adrenaline coursing through his body subsided. He let out a sigh and looked at Earth with longing eyes.

"You miss it down there, don't you?" Wheatley said to him breaking the silence. Adrian nodded, his gaze still fixated on the planet. He wondered how long he had been away for. How much he missed out on, and how different everything would be. He only hoped that he would not have any difficulty fitting back into society. That is if anyone was still left.

"Yeah..." His voice became much quieter than it had been before the escape. Wheatley remained silent for a short while, staring at the planet as well. 

"So, uh, how did you even get up here in the first place? I know enough about humans to know they can't exactly, you know, breathe in space." Wheatley asked him. Adrian's gaze became uneasy at his words.

"You're gonna think I'm insane for saying this..." Adrian looked at the floor before fixating his gaze at the core. "Some time ago, I was taken by this... g-man? If you could call him that... He, uh, kept me in some otherworldly plane for God knows how long! One day he woke me up, and I was here." He sounded as if he could not recall the sequence of events with accuracy. It was almost as if what happened was past his realm of understanding.

"I can't tell you exactly how I got in there though." He pointed his thumb to the moon base in the distance. Almost if on cue, it exploded in a fiery blaze. Pieces of the building scattered every which way to forever float in the void. The blast caught the two fugitives off guard. They both stared wide-eyed at the destruction.

"Would ya look at that? I did that... All by myself." Wheatley said mesmerized by his handiwork. For how long he spent orbiting the moon, he forgot the destructive power he held. It felt refreshing at first but then brought back an unpleasant memory. His amazement turned to disappointment as his past regret started to creep upon him. The two of them sat in silence again as the moment dulled down.

"Hey Wheat," Adrian broke the silence this time, "when we were back up there, you said you had someone you needed to find. Mind telling me who?"

"Um, I'd rather not... I'm probably not going to find her anyway. There's no way I'd be let back in Aperture after what happened." Wheatley had trouble keeping eye contact. The image of the silent lady appeared in his mind again and again since he was exiled to space. It haunted him. He wanted nothing more than to tell her was sorry for everything he had done.

"Uh... Aperture?" Adrian's voice interrupted Wheatley's self-loathing.

"It's a... Scientific research center of sorts. I was manufactured there once upon a time. Don't know any place other than there."Wheatley said, his melancholy fading away.

"Oh... So like Black Mesa?"

"Oh, God! Don't even mention that bloody name around me! I can't stand that place! It's almost as if I'm programmed to hate them! _That's_ how much I can't stand them! Oh! They make my blood boil—metaphorical blood, that is!" Wheatley shut his eye in annoyance at the mere mention of Black Mesa. It was anyone's guess as to why the core had so much disdain for them.

"Hey, me too!" Adrian said with a smile. "They're technically the reason all that g-man shit happened to me!"

"Oi! Cheers to hating Black Mesa, then!" Wheatley raised his top handlebar with his declaration.

"To hating Black Mesa!" Adrian chuckled under his breath and held up his fist in agreement with his friend.

The escape pod was fast approaching Earth's atmosphere. Both of them braced for impact as the pod inched closer and closer.

———

Entering the atmosphere was a blur. The two of them crashed into the ground faster than they had anticipated. The pod landed a few miles away from a tall, dark building that cast a dark shadow over the land. Opening the top hatch, Adrian looked outside at the wasteland before him. He brought Wheatley out too so he could whiteness the surface for the very first time. Adrian's eyes widened at the bleak sight.

"What the hell happened here?" He said in a hushed tone.

"Huh, so that's what the surface looks like? Kind of a letdown, really." Wheatley said disappointed with what he was seeing.

"No, i-it wasn't always like this..." Adrian said stepping out of the pod with the core in his hands. He was still in disbelief by what he was seeing.

"You, anti-citizen!" A synthetic voice sounded from behind them. Adrian turned around to a platoon of similar soldiers from the moon base. They were led by one in particular with white armor and a singular red eye in the center of his helmet. He was holding some sort of unfamiliar firearm at them.

"You're surrounded. There's no use trying to run." 

"Well, we're dead! It was nice knowing you, mate!" Wheatley said frightened. His chassis was shaking in fear of what might happen to him. Adrian took up a defensive stance, preparing for what they had in store for him.

"Permission to speak, commander?" One of the soldiers asked the man in white. Lowering his firearm, the commander faced the soldier.

"Permission granted." He responded.

"Remember what we were told about him from the moon stronghold. Let's not kill him. We can instead use him to take down the Free Man."

_Free Man?_ Adrian thought. _Why does that name sound so familiar?_

The commander thought about the suggestion for a moment. He brought his firearm back up to Adrian's chest and started to approach him. All of the other soldiers drew their weapons in unison.

"In exchange for your life, you will serve under the Combine as a loyal soldier. If you refuse, you will be hunted and turned into a slave." The ultimatum was given. Adrian had nowhere to turn.

"Looks like I don't have much of a choice, do I?" He said relaxing his shoulders. "I'll accept your offer if you let my friend live too." Adrian motioned his head towards Wheatley. The commander looked down at the core with a blank expression.

"Um... Hello?" Wheatley said, his nerves rising.

"Request granted." The commander responded with hesitation. 

Two soldiers stood behind Adrian with guns drawn as he was escorted towards the building in the distance. It had to be Stara Prospekt. At least one mystery was solved.


	4. The Calm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: none

Two days had passed since the death of Eli Vance. Dr. Magnusson requested Gordon and Alyx attend a discussion concerning the Borealis preceding the funeral. His demeanor appeared to be more agitated than usual. Eli's death had affected everyone to a great degree, and Magnusson was no exception. 

Alyx was hit the hardest out of anyone in White Forest. She, more so than Gordon, wanted nothing to do with Magnusson's ramblings or even the Borealis. She wanted nothing to do with anything. Ever since she held her father's lifeless body in her arms, everything about her seemed to have shut down. Eating and sleeping were out of the question. She had not even talked to anyone since that day. Gordon was clueless as to why Magnusson called for her when he knew all too well what she was going through.

"We've been putting this Borealis excursion on hold for long enough. With our luck, the Combine might've already taken siege of the damn thing." Magnusson paced back and forth in front of the two of them. He had a noticeable expression of worry forming within his features. He usually did not display his emotions as profound as he was now.

"The two of you don't seem to be taking this seriously at all. I think you're forgetting that our future is at stake here!" He stopped pacing and stood in front of them with his hands on his hips. His countenance now expressed more disdain than worry.

Alyx was holding her arms tight to her body with her gaze pointed to the floor. She had scooted her chair away from the two of them before the meeting even started. Everything Magnusson was saying went in one ear and out the other. Gordon glared at him with contempt for his thoughtlessness.

"I think _you're_ forgetting that someone just died—Someone important! What did you expect us to do? Fly over to the arctic while Eli bled out on the hanger floor?" Gordon said, his voice dripping with poison. His tone was much louder than anyone expected it to be.

"You have a lot of nerve speaking to me that way. Twenty years and this is the first thing you say to me? How uncouth!" Magnusson seized up, his anger engulfing him.

"All I'm saying is do you really expect me and Alyx to go out there all gung-ho after what just happened? Alyx especially! She can't even think of anything else!" Gordon looked back at his companion with perturbed eyes.

Alyx shifted in her chair, feeling uncomfortable with the whole conversation. A pit was starting to form in her stomach and tears threatened to fall from her glazed eyes. She refused to look up and face her friend.

"I don't care!" Magnusson's words brought Gordon's fixation back to the disgruntled man. "If you're willing to be overwhelmed, fine then. You obviously don't seem to care about the fate of all the lives that have depended on you since you arrived here!"

A slight tinge of anxiety sparked inside of Gordon at that sentiment. The invasive thoughts about his selfishness caught up with him and his gaze grew uneasy. They told him that his anxiety would bring the end of humanity and that he did not deserve to be held in such high regard. They mocked him for being afraid of the grandiose task he was "putting off".

"You know what," He mustered out, "since you're so concerned with this mission, I'll just go by myself. Alyx shouldn't have to deal with this." Magnusson looked at him perplexed.

"Now you're just being stupid. There's no—"

"I said I'm going by myself! That's final!" Gordon raised his voice more than he had ever in a long time. The sudden outburst was enough to bring Alyx out of her melancholy trance. The room was silent for a few heartbeats.

"I... I have to. Like you said, everyone's counting on me..." His voice reverted to his usual quiet, reserved tone as his eyes fell away from the man.

As if to break the silence, the familiar voice of Dr. Kleiner sounded through the room from the radio on Magnusson's desk. The three of them looked at it, taken by surprise from the sudden transmission.

"Arne? Are you there?" Kleiner's cadence sounded worried. "Barney has returned with the last group of fugitives. Can you open the gate for them?"

Magnusson let out an irritated sigh and picked up the radio, fiddling with the dial so he could respond to his colleague. 

"Give me a moment." He said with little emotion. After putting the radio down, he turned to Gordon again.

"Gordon, go retrieve Calhoun. And while you're at it, bring him up to speed with what's happening."

The realization of Magnusson's words struck Gordon like a slap in the face: Barney had no idea that Eli was dead. He let out a shaky sigh and made his way to the door at a slow pace. How on Earth would he break the news to him?

"Oh, and Gordon," Magnusson added before Gordon left the room, "remember, you're heading out tomorrow morning. I expect you to arrive at the hanger no later than six o'clock sharp."

Gordon looked at him with a blank expression for a moment before leaving without a word. He was now focused on how he would tell his friend the news. Making his way through the halls of White Forest, his anxiety grew with each step. He never wanted to be the one to tell him.

As he shook away his thoughts, he found himself a short distance away from the entrance. The group of rebels he escorted back in City 17 were piling into the base. Most of them had wounds and lacerations visible on their exposed skin and under their clothes. Barney was the last of them to enter. His haggard countenance was monitoring all the fugitives, making sure they were well and safe. He had three large slashes scabbed over on the left side of his face. Everything about him was a mess. He looked like he had escaped from Hell to tell his tale.

Once Barney noticed Gordon staring at him, his dour expression turned to one of delight, and a warm smile spread across his face. He started approaching Gordon with ardor.

"Hey Doc, long time no see." He sounded exhausted, but his usual bright demeanor was still present. A shaky smile formed on Gordon's lips as the thought of Eli festered in the back of his mind.

"Barn, what happened to you? You look like shit." Gordon said, trying to lighten his mood.

"Long story short: our train derailed, and we had to hike through antlion territory. They banged us up pretty bad. Gave me this nasty scar" He let out a soft laugh as he rubbed the side of his face with the scars. "Luckily, everyone made it out alive! Eli'd be pretty happy to hear that."

"Yeah... About that..." Gordon tried to stop his voice from quavering. He might as well get the news out of the way now.

"What do ya mean? We're all fine!" Barney's smile started to fade, and his eyes held a look of concern.

"Yeah, I know that... I-It's about Eli... He..."

"He what? Spit it out, would ya?" Barney was starting to grow tired of the stalling.

"He's... Well... He's dead. He died two days ago."

Barney took a step back, his eyes grew wide with disbelief. He shook his head at what his friend had told him. The world around them seemed to have stopped spinning.

"N-no! How? He was just fine!" His voice quivered with a mixture of anger and grief. Tears started to form in the corners of his eyes, and he placed a hand over them in anguish.

"While you were gone, the Combine attacked and... One of their Advisors killed him..." It was painful for Gordon to see his friend this way. He put a hand on Barney's shoulder in hopes of consoling him.

"There was nothing we could do."

Barney scoffed at what he was hearing. Wiping his eyes, he looked down at the floor in revulsion.

"Goddamn Advisors... If they dare cross my path, they won't ever see the light of day again..." He balled his hand in a trembling fist. Gordon could only look at him downcast. He started regretting what he had said.

———

Alyx had been lying down on her bed staring at the ceiling for the past hour unable to sleep. She had not gotten a wink of sleep for the past two days, but she could care less at the moment. Her thoughts were consumed by the sickening image of her father's corpse being mutilated by the Advisor. No matter how hard she tried to quell the memory, it kept coming back to torment her. She had never felt as helpless as she had now. Her rock, her protector, the one person who had helped her through so much was gone. She had been fighting back tears the moment she arrived back in her room.

Without warning, a quiet knocking brought her back to reality. She sat up in her bed and turned her gaze to the door in anticipation. She needed someone to be here with her.

"Alyx? Are you awake?" It was Gordon. His voice was soft and hushed. "Knock back if you can hear me."

Silence enveloped them for a short time before Alyx gathered the strength to leave her bed and approach the door. She knocked back.

"Oh, good... I just want to talk to you one last time before I leave tomorrow. I don't really know how long I'll be gone, and... I just need to say goodbye." His voice sounded downhearted. He was silent for a bit before continuing. It was almost as if he was not strong enough to keep up the conversation.

"Ever since what happened, I've noticed how upset you've been getting. You've become so distant lately... I-I don't want to leave you alone... But I can't take you with me. You don't deserve to deal with this..." He paused again before continuing. "Earlier today, I-I told Barney about what happened with Eli, a-and he didn't take it too well. I'm worried about what he might do... What you might do... I..." He let out a shaky sigh. "I'm just... worried. I don't want to be away if you... If you..."

Alyx heard a quiet sob on the other side of the door. The sound of his crying broke her heart. It was enough to unleash the tears she worked so hard keeping in. She opened the door and looked up at his grief-stricken face.

"You don't have to do this. You know that, right?" She felt awful for being so weak to not accompany him the next day. She did not want him to leave her alone either. 

"I have to." Gordon responded, wiping his eyes. "Everyone's counting on me. I-I can't just bail now."

As much as she did not want to admit it, he was right. The fate of the resistance's freedom loomed over him with every action he made. There was no escaping his fate. With that in mind, Alyx then embraced him with tight arms.

"I'm gonna be fine... I don't want you to worry about me while you're gone." She buried her face in his chest, allowing a wave of warmth to overcome her as he wrapped his arms around her. The silence, for once, was comforting.

"Can you... Stay with me tonight?" She asked looking up at him. "I want to spend your last night with you."

Gordon smiled at her and nodded. "I would love to."

The two of them entered Alyx's room and got comfortable together in her bed. Gordon kept Alyx close with his protective arms wrapped around her. All of their worries were forgotten as the night dragged on. For the first time since the incident, Alyx managed to sleep through the night.


	5. Insight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: mania, gore

The Aperture Science Boarding Complex came into Doug's view as the sun started to set over the horizon. Relief swept over him like a warm blanket at the mere sight of it. At least one good thing happened this day. Despite the welcoming and somewhat nostalgic air of the complex, there was no doubt that it was vacant. After all, no employee was left after Her personal genocide. 

"Look! We made it!" Doug said with excitement to his beloved Companion Cube. He had not felt this much pure unadulterated joy in a long time.

_Don't get your hopes up. For all you know, She might have some control over this place._

"I don't think so... Even if she did, what could she possibly do?"

_Anything! She could crush you between the walls or drop you back into the facility's depths through the floor!_

Doug stopped smiling at this point and eyed his cube with discomfort. He had nothing to counteract with.

_And even if she doesn't have direct control of the buildings, she can still send out an android to kill you! Don't you get it? You'll never be free from her no matter how far you run._

His companion's words sliced into him like a sharp blade and the sliver of optimism he once had about the place was drained by the hypotheticals presented to him. The feeling of helplessness enveloped him once again and his knees felt weak with the weight of his conjectured fate.

"I guess that's expected..." His voice was no more than a whisper. Holding onto his bag's strap with white knuckles, his pace became more cautious. He now had no desire to stay for very long after what his friend proposed.

Before he entered the complex, Doug took a moment to examine his surroundings for anything out of the ordinary. The first thing he noticed was the gate which had rusted over and collapsed onto the dry grass. Some of the fencings around the area had succumbed to the same fate. The next distinguishing feature was the rancid smell of gunpowder and rotting flesh. Other than the Aperture lockdown, what could have happened here?

After taking careful steps over the fallen gate, Doug made his way into the complex still looking around for danger. A concerning sight was caught in the corner of his eye: a corpse. The body lay against the nearby wall of one of the buildings with its mouth agape like it was letting out a horrid scream. Its eyes were black holes and blood was stained all over its skin and clothes. Along with its heinous face, its chest cavity looked like it had been sliced open. Its broken ribs protruded from torn, rotting skin showcasing a gaping hole where its insides used to be. Each of its fingers was elongated to the point where the phalanges were exposed. The sight was a hard one to forget.

Doug backed away from it with a hand over his mouth. A sickening feeling erupted in his gut, and he fell to the ground from under his weak knees. His wide eyes were stuck to the revolting sight. He had never seen a corpse like this before. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

"Oh my God... Did... Did She do this?" He did not know what else to think. What else could have caused this?

_I don't know. It looks like something she would do though._

Doug looked away and remained still on the ground. If there was a possibility that She did this, what would stop her from doing it to him?

_Hey, let's get out of the open. You're more vulnerable out here._

"R-right... I have an idea of where to go." Doug got to his shaky feet and, making sure to avoid getting close to the corpse, approached one of the two building's entrances. Looking through the filthy glass doors, he noted that the interior had no sign of any life.

Once inside, Doug headed straight for the stairwell. The inside was dark and musty like no one had been there in years to conduct the necessary maintenance. The tile floors were cracked and stained with dry blood and suspicious yellow splotches. Along with the disarray, everything in sight was covered in a thin layer of dust.

Doug climbed the stairs up to the second floor of the building. The memories of the past came flooding back to him. He remembered the first time he ever settled down in his old room. At the time, he was only 18 years old.

_Why are we in here? Aren't you worried about Her killing us?_

Doug winced at the mention of his tormentor again, at the thought of her limitless potential, but his thoughts would not let him pass through the complex without searching in one last place first.

"This will only take a second. There's somewhere I want to check out real quick."

Doug's footsteps halted once he was right up against his destination. His old room: No. 62. The old metallic numbers were rusted over, and the 2 had fallen to the ground, leaving only a faint imprint on the door of where it used to be. The keycard chip on the side of the handle was damaged from the wear and tear of time.

Doug pulled out his employee keycard and swiped it between the crease of the door where the lock met the frame. It clicked open with some effort.

Stepping inside filled Doug with a sensation of melancholy. The sight was the room was disheartening. Everything inside was worn and rundown: the sheets on the unkempt bed were moth-eaten, the cupboards were ransacked and left in disarray, and the single window had been smashed open. Blood stained the floor and the wall where the window was.

During his observation, something on the counter caught Doug's eye out of everything else. A half-used bottle of his anti-psychotics was sitting unattended. His eyes lit up at the sight and he picked up the bottle and examined the label: Ziprasidone. 80 MG. Expired. What other choice did he have? He popped the lid off and held one between his thumb and forefinger.

_Don't take those pills! They'll kill you! It's a poison to your mind! You'd be the stupidest person alive to take those!_

"No, you don't understand—"

_No! Listen to me! Remember what happened the last time? You lost me! You lost me and almost got yourself killed! If you take those, you'll end up just like that corpse outside! Dead and all alone!_

The capsule between Doug's fingers started to burn through his skin along with his companion's words. Blood started to leak from where his skin met the pill, and he flicked it away in fear. As he took a moment to calm down, he pocketed the bottle after placing the lid back on.

"Y-you’re right." His breathing slowed to a steady pace. "I don't need them right now."

After regaining his senses, Doug searched the room for anything salvageable. The room was barren of anything of use, and what he did find was either rotten or damaged beyond repair. He thought the next best thing to do was to check the neighboring rooms. Before leaving the room, he took a second to look around inside for the very last time.

Slipping his keycard in door No. 63's frame, it opened with no effort like it was already unlocked. Something was much different about this room than the one preceding it. At the foot of the dusty bed lay another corpse except for this time it had an odd growth on the top of its head obscuring its face. A matching body with its organs spilled over the floor was sitting under the cupboards.

Doug stared at them for a moment as his heart started racing again. He did not want to go anywhere near more corpses. Seeing one earlier was enough of a sight. Doug crept away from the room holding his breath. He felt that his presence would be enough to wake the dead if he was not cautious around them.

Once his back was turned, one of the bodies began to rise to its wobbling feet. It let out a quiet moan as it struggled to get up. The other corpse rose once it heard the noise. Both of them hobbled over closer and closer to the unsuspecting Doug.

_Look out! Behind you!_

Doug's head turned to the two corpses inching only a few feet behind him. His eyes grew wide as terror engulfed his senses. The sight was much worse than the one he saw earlier. Seeing them writhe and limp left a pit in his stomach. One of them was even stumbling over its exposed intestines. Along with that, he could also hear the tortured cries of the people they might have been. They sounded like they were in so much pain as they screamed out for help.

_What are you waiting for? Get out of here!_

Doug was frozen in place. All of the muscles in his body tensed up and refused to let him move. All he could do was watch as the corpses closed in on him.

All of a sudden, a flurry of gunshots came from the stairwell, and both of the corpses fell to the ground. One was left unmoving and the other continued on a steady crawl. Turning his head toward the noise, Doug spotted a younger-looking man holding a submachine gun in both of his hands.He had dirt and grime coving his face and arms and one of the "growths" the corpses had strapped to his head.

"Hey, you! Come with me! Hurry! More are on the way!" He said with urgency. Doug, without hesitation, followed the man out of the building. Even though his cube was telling him not to trust this person, he had no choice. He was out of options.

"This way." The man led Doug out of the building and into the one standing adjacent to it. Once they were inside, he looked around for a moment before heading towards the stairwell. They arrived at the barricaded door of the underground storage level. The man knocked twice on the door. A piece obscuring the square window slid away revealing two eyes watching them. 

"It's only me. I brought someone back with me." He grabbed Doug's arm and gently pulled him into view of the watching eyes. The person slid the piece back into place and opened the door. An older woman greeted them with apprehension.

"Get in here quick. We need to make sure you weren't followed..."

"Relax! I didn't see any overwatch out there. Only zombies." The man said as he sauntered in, taking off his "growth" helmet. His short brown hair was matted and faded.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Vinny. You can never really know." The woman said grabbing the handgun at her side and exiting into the stairwell. Vinny looked at the door for a moment before shifting his gaze at Doug.

"So what gives? I've never seen you here before."

Doug looked at him with worried eyes as he tried to muster out something coherent. He was appalled and frightened by what he had seen. Out of anything that could have happened, he never would have expected the surface to turn out like this.

"U-uh... I-I don't know what's going on at all. What are those... Things? What was on their heads?"

"Um, hello? What kind of person hasn't seen a headcrab zombie yet? Where have you been?" Vinny looked at him surprised by his lack of exposure to the zombies.

"Actually, I just escaped Aperture and—"

" _You_ came from Aperture?" Vinny rose his voice in shock. Some of the other people in the room looked at the two of them with the mention of Aperture.

"I guess the attire makes sense now. There was definitely no record of you at Black Mesa." Vinny observed him with intrigue. "No way! This is perfect!"

"Uh... What are talking about?" Doug stood in place uncomfortable with the attention placed on him. Why was Aperture so important to them?

"Hey, Allan! Get Kleiner on the line! I've got someone he absolutely needs to talk to!" Vinny dragged Doug over to a large monitor mounted on the wall next to an indescribable contraption. It was cylindrical and reached to the top of the room. It looked like it could fit at most two people inside.

"An Aperture scientist? Where on Earth did you find him? I thought they died!" Allan asked as he set up contact with Dr. Kleiner. Doug shifted in place in discomfort at the last statement. 

"Found him wandering around with some zombies. Poor guy almost got ripped to shreds!" Vinny said pointing his thumb at the scientist.

The monitor came to life not long afterward. The faces of both Kleiner and Magnusson obscured most of the screen.

"Ah, Vinny! It's great to see you again!" Kleiner said with a kind smile on his face. "Have you found any new information about Aperture's whereabouts yet?"

"Yes, and if not this better be important. We have more pressing matters to take care of at the moment. Not some false alarm." Magnusson pushed past Kleiner as he spoke. He looked annoyed with the sudden transmission.

"I found something even better than the facility! A scientist!" Vinny brought Doug into the monitor's view. Doug stared up at the two scientists with worry.

"A scientist? From Aperture? But that's impossible!" Kleiner got back into the frame and looked at Doug with astonishment.

"He doesn't look like any kind of scientist I’ve ever seen." Magnusson narrowed his eyes at Doug. "What you've brought us is nothing more than a straggler. He was probably left behind during the relocation period. How do you know for sure he's not crazy?"

"He can prove it! Right?" Vinny looked at the scientist with hopeful eyes.

_Are you really planning on telling them the truth?_

Doug took in a deep breath and fought against the urge to keep to himself. He pulled out his employee keycard. It had all the information they needed to be convinced. Someone needed to know what went on down there.

"Hmm..." Dr. Magnusson squinted at the screen when reading the ID. He sighed before speaking. "I don't understand..."

"Oh, it's a miracle! If only we could've gotten this information before Gordon left. But beggars can't be choosers! After all, this is the best-case scenario!" Kleiner pushed up his glasses with a fidgeting hand. His excitement knew no bounds.

"Vinny," He continued, "I want you to escort Dr. Rattmann to White Forest at once! I'll prepare the teleporter. There can be no delay in getting him here safely." Kleiner moved out of the monitor's frame leaving only a disgruntled Magnusson on screen.

"You hear that, pal?" Vinny turned to Doug with a warm smile. "You just got yourself a one-stop trip to White Forest. I've been aching to go back there! You're one lucky guy."

Doug remained silent. The conversation was blurring into the background of his cube's chastisement. The more it talked the more he regretted giving away his past employment.

_What were you thinking? She's definitely out to get you now!_

"I'm sorry... I just need to let someone know what I've been through..." Doug said at a volume only his cube could hear. 

_Maybe I should've let you die back in the complex..._

"All right! The teleporter is ready to go. Whenever you're ready, Vinny." Kleiner said as his face appeared back in the frame. Vinny grabbed Doug's wrist and brought him to the cylindrical machine. He shut the gate once the scientist was inside.

"Allan, you got the correct coordinates? I don't want him to be teleported into an antlion nest like the last time!"

Doug's heart dropped. Was this machine capable of teleportation? And if so, nothing was stopping it from ripping his body into a million small pieces. He heard some horror stories about early ASHPD tests back when he first started working at Aperture. He hoped it would not be anything like that.

The platform beneath him began to rise without warning, and a bright blue light surrounded him. As he looked down at the two men below, he saw Vinny waving goodbye to him with a smile on his face. Doug fell on his knees and hunched over with his hands gripping his scalp. His eyes shut clamped shut for the duration of his trip. His body felt numb for a short moment.

———

"Dr. Rattmann, you can open your eyes now." The voice of one of the scientists from before said in a hospitable tone. Doug looked up wide-eyed at him; his anxiety growing.

"My name is Dr. Isaac Kleiner." Kleiner extended a hand to him. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Doug only stared at him. His eye then caught the other scientist standing a few feet behind Kleiner. His arms were crossed and he held a look of detest on his face.

"Doug..." Doug looked back at Kleiner and accepted his welcoming gesture with a shaky hand. Despite the friendliness, the scientist expressed to him, he felt that he had crossed some sort of hostility barrier. He could not place his finger on why that could be.


	6. Heartache

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: gore
> 
> This garbage has been sitting in my drafts for a few months and I just wanted to get it done. So sorry if the ending is rushed.

"Barney... Barn, wake up!" Gordon stood over his friend's sleeping body trying to wake him with gentle shakes. He kept his voice hushed so he would not arouse the comatose rebels around them. 

"Gordon? What are you doin' here? What time is it?" Barney sat up in his cot. His tired eyes blinked rapidly trying to subdue the blurriness in the corners of his vision. He caught sight of the scientist donned in his quintessential hazard suit. It was somewhat straining to look at with the bright orange.

"It's 5:30. There's something important I need to tell you before I leave." Gordon knelt to Barney's eye level. His apprehensive expression concerned Barney to a great degree, except he still could not shake the sleepiness away.

"Make it quick, doc. I don't want to lose too much sleep over this..." Barney rubbed his eyes awaiting whatever information his friend had for him. Gordon took in a steady breath before speaking.

"So, I've been seeing this... Government man wandering around here ever since the incident." Barney narrowed his eyes in confusion at what he was hearing. Gordon held up his hands trying to deescalate the feeling of absurdity his friend might have been experiencing.

"I-I know what you're thinking, but trust me on this. He's real, and he's bad news. I need you to promise me that you won't let him anywhere near you or Alyx o-or anyone."

"O-okay, sure." Barney said unsure of what he heard was true or not.

"You don't believe me, do you?" Gordon's unease became more prominent. It was almost convincing that what he was saying was not some product of grief or lack of rest.

"No, no, no! I'll be on the lookout for 'im. You can count on it." Barney gave him a warm smile and a thumbs up. Even though he did not believe Gordon, he was willing to do anything to make his friend feel more secure. He already had enough to deal with outside this g-man conspiracy.

"Thanks, bud. I owe you one." Relief swept over Gordon at Barney's promise.

"Aw, you don't owe me shit!" He patted Gordon on the shoulder. "Better get goin', now. Don't want Magnusson to get all riled up!"

Gordon gave him one last glance before heading to the hanger. As Barney watched him leave, he felt the growing feeling of loneliness sweep over him. He hadn't seen much of Gordon since he arrived at City 17, and now he was not sure when the next time they would meet again would be. His smile faded once he was alone, and his eyes trailed downwards to the mattress of the cot.

"See you when I see you..."

———

The night had dragged on after Barney's conversation, and he found himself without a wink of sleep. His mind was racing with the copious amount of new information he accumulated since coming back: Eli, the Borealis, and now the fabled g-man. He could not seem to ever catch a break.

About a half-hour passed since Gordon talked to him. Since he could not manage to catch some rest, he thought he might as well make himself useful around the base. After getting ready for the day, he headed for the inner wall of the outdoor fencing. Patrolling was the only thing on his mind as of right now. The thought of the Advisor coming back for revenge was front and center on his mind, and he could not risk letting something like that happen. Maybe he could catch sight of that g-man. Maybe not.

Stepping out into the moonlight, he spotted four other rebels patrolling the gate. One of them locked uneasy eyes with him after hearing his steady footsteps. The rebel's expression softened once he realized who was approaching.

"Barney, shouldn't you be resting? I thought you just came back from a trip?" His voice was full of concern.

"I'm fine. Don' worry about it. I'm not too banged up to be workin' out here." Barney's lips curled into a reassuring smile. Disregarding his paranoia, he felt strong enough to uphold the job. He just wanted to be as helpful as possible.

The early morning felt serene. For a moment, all of his worries seemed to melt away as he looked up at the stars. They reminded him of the past. A time when he did not have to worry about a planet-conquering armada destroying everyone he cared about. Times when he could stay up late sharing a drink with Gordon back at Black Mesa. Simpler times.

A movement in the corner of Barney's eye broke him out of his trance. An unidentified person was rounding the corner of the base. Whoever it was disappeared before he could get a good look at them. Barney narrowed his eyes in suspicion and approached the edge of the building where the figure disappeared to. He drew the OSIPR from his side and tiptoed closer and closer. His heart beat faster and faster as he prepared his ambush. Could it be that g-man?

Holding his OSIPR up, he revealed himself to the mysterious figure. To his surprise, his assault rifle was pointed right at an unsuspecting Alyx and Dog. Alyx was holding her hands up and her expression was full of fear.

"Hey, d-don't shoot me." She said backing away. Barney lowered his weapon and let out a relieved sigh.

"What are you doing out here, kiddo? I thought you were an intruder." Barney holstered his weapon and came closer to her.

"I can't sleep. Gordon woke me up when he left." Alyx relaxed her gaze and rubbed her eyes.

"Oh, did he talk to you about that g-man too?" 

"What? No. We spent the night together. He was just making a lot of noise."

"Oh..." Barney's heart dropped at her words. It would not be a stretch to say that he had a twinge of jealousy at her statement. He wanted nothing more than to spend time with the guy even if it was only for a moment. If only he had arrived a bit sooner he could have fulfilled his wish.

"That still doesn't answer my question. Why're you outside?" Barney shook away his feelings for his friend. He was more concerned about what Alyx was doing more than his longing desires.

"I was... Uh..." Alyx tensed up and looked away from him. "I was... Gonna go find the Advisors that killed Dad..." She flinched at her words. "I can't have them wandering around out there." 

"Kid," Barney put a hand on her shoulder. "I hate them as much as you, believe me, but revenge? Forget it! You could get seriously hurt even with Dog there with you."

"Then... Why don't you come with me too?" Alyx looked at him with eager eyes.

"What?" Barney was taken aback by her request. Despite the potential danger, a part of him wanted nothing more than to take revenge. It was egging him on to agree.

"Yeah! You _hate_ them! You said so yourself! A-and why not? They deserve it!"

"Alyx, I don't—"

"C'mon! I don't want Dad to've died for nothing."

The look on her face portrayed indignation with a hint of desperation. Eli's death had drastic effects on her from what he had heard, and the pain in her eyes was apparent of that. It left Barney's heart throbbing seeing her like this. He knew deep down that her idea may not be the best, yet he wanted to enact revenge as much as her. Whether it was because of her sudden vulnerability or not, he caved in.

"Alright, I'm in... An Advisor can't possibly take the both of us down, right?"

"Awesome! Thank you!" She gave him a quick squeeze before backing up a couple of steps.

"Alright, so here's the plan: you and me will search in around Cities 18 to 21, and Dog's gonna check out 16 and under. That way we can cover more ground and easily blend into the higher populated areas if need be. I've got a feeling they might've fled to Stara Prospekt in City 19, or maybe the citadel in City 21. And we might as well check City 17 too just to leave no area unchecked. Plus it's on the way."

"That... Seems like a lot of ground to cover. Are you sure we can travel all the way to City 21 on foot? No one's gonna lend us a ride if they know what we're up to." Barney was still wary about the entire idea.

"We'll only need to go there if either we or Dog have no luck. I think we have a better chance of finding at least one close by. Dog hurt one of them pretty badly."

"We might as well get going then. We gotta be back before anyone notices somethin's up."

"Right." Alyx took in a deep breath and turned to Dog. "Stay out of trouble, okay? Come find us if you see anything out there."

Dog nodded at her and took off toward his first destination. Alyx and Barney took a brief moment to watch him disappear farther into the clumps of trees before beginning their trek towards City 17.

It took them a solid twenty-five minutes to make it to the outskirts of the wreckage. The sight was disheartening. Even though so many horrible things happened there, too many to count, they could not help but mourn for their former home. It was hard to imagine that only a couple of days ago it was one of the most bustling cities in the area. Now it was reduced to rubble and the crumbling skeletons of buildings. Not even a headcrab was seen lurking around.

"Well... here we are..." Alyx stared at the wreckage almost in disbelief. To Barney, the sight was better than what he expected. He was preparing to see a deep crater filled with fallen buildings and singed bodies of CPs. Neither of them wanted to stay for very long.

Alyx had already gotten a head start past the collapsing walls into the empty streets. She had her pistol at the ready in case there happened to be anything threatening stalking around. Her hands were trembling. Barney came to her left side and looked at her with concern.

"Are you okay, kiddo? Just say the word and we'll hit the trail." He said in a whisper. Alyx stopped in her tracks but refused to meet his eyes.

"I'm fine. I'm not leaving until I check every inch of this place." Her gaze was pierced down on the concrete beneath her feet. The combination of her overactive emotions and the memory of the city was starting to get to her head.

The image of Eli culminated inside of her head, except this time it was not of his death, but a memory of him consoling her after the CP raid. She remembered that day clearer than most of her memories. It happened a few months after she first arrived here; when she was only nine years old. The event traumatic to say the least, but at least she had her father to help her pull through. A part of her missed those days even if they were frightening.

"Do ya want me to take the lead for now?" Barney asked breaking her from her thoughts. She looked at him in the corner of her eye and let out a tired sigh.

"Yeah. If you really want to..."

"Okay, stay behind me then." He waved his hand at her to follow. Alyx felt comfort in having him there with her. She was not sure if she would have been able to stay grounded otherwise. Maybe on more normal circumstances, but she was far from her normal self at the moment.

The two of them found themselves entering the former train station plaza. The carapaces of two striders were lying dormant around the collapsed buildings, and empty bullet shells were scattered on the sidewalk. There did not seem to be a body in sight which was surprising considering the recent events. The large monitor that once broadcasted Dr. Breen's messages had fallen from its obelisk and shattered on the concrete below.

Approaching one of the damaged apartment buildings, Barney heard the faint sound of voices in the distance. He pressed his back against the building's walls and brought his gaze over the corner. There he spotted a group of no more than 10 unmasked Civil Protection Officers stationed around a small fire. Some were standing around chatting with each other and others were lying down sleeping (at least he thought they were sleeping. It was hard to tell). All of them were from City 17. Barney gasped out loud but covered his mouth in time before he broke his cover.

"What? What did—" Alyx was interrupted by Barney's hand clamping over her mouth and his excessive shushing.

"Quiet! We're gonna get spotted!" Barney said in a whisper.

"What's going on?" Alyx moved his hand off of her. Both of them looked over the corner at the unsuspecting CPs.

"Just great! What are they even doing here?" Barney gritted his teeth at the sight of them. He recognized some of the unmasked officers as some he would have considered friends in the past. Once they found out he was part of the resistance, they ended up doing horrible things to him. After that, he harbored malice towards them. They had the choice to join him in the fight for liberation, but they chose to stay mindless. It sickened him.

"This is perfect!" Alyx pulled Barney back into hiding and held his shoulders so that he was looking at her face. "They can definitely help us."

"No way! You seriously want some scrawny Combine boot-lickers to help us with this? Fat chance!"

"Oh, come on! Look at them." Alyx peered over at them again. "The Combine left them behind. It's not like they have anything left to fight for. Besides we need all the help we can get."

Barney looked at her with unease. The look in his eyes told Alyx that he was not comfortable confronting the metrocops about their mission. She could understand his unrest, but their group needed more support. The only thing on her mind was subduing one of the two Advisors that had a hand in her father's death. She could not wait any longer. 

Barney sighed and rubbed his eyes in irritation. "Let's just get this over and done with... Wait here."

Barney slipped out from his hiding place and made himself known to the unsuspecting CPs. He approached them unarmed as to not incite any harm. One of them noticed him once he was closer to the group.

"No way. Is that... Calhoun?" He asked another who proceeded to look in Barney's direction.

"Strange..." The other narrowed his eyes in contempt. Once Barney was only a few feet away, four of the CPs got up from their sitting positions and started to approach him.

"What're you doing here?" One asked in a low voice. His eyes were full of contempt as he drew his handgun with a steady hand. Barney recognized him as one of his past torturers.

"Look, I don't want any trouble." Barney said as non-threatening as he could. He made sure to keep his hands off of his holster.

"Trouble?" The officer scoffed. "Look around, Calhoun. Look at all the trouble you and your renegades have caused."

"I need your guy's help with somethin'." Barney stood his ground and glared in his direction.

"You've got a lot of nerve asking that. Do you think you can just waltz on up to us and ask for a favor? You must be brain dead!" With the last sentence, the CP held his handgun at Barney's forehead. Barney looked at him wide-eyed in fear but refused to draw his weapon.

"Uh, don't you think that's a bit much?" One of the other CPs asked in a quiet tone.

"He should've known what was coming to him." He brushed the other CP away and pulled the barrel on his gun back. His eyes were full of rage. "I'm going to enjoy this!"

"Hands up!" Alyx had exposed herself to the group. Her pistol was aimed at the CP's head.

"Well, well, well. Look who else showed up." A malicious smile spread across the officer's face at the sight of her.

"Put the gun down and no one gets hurt." She said without breaking eye contact.

"And what are you gonna do about it?"

"I'm serious! If you kill either of us, you'll be hunted for the rest of your miserable life. Unless you want the entire resistance on your ass, you should drop your weapon." 

The officer stared at her with unease and put his handgun to the ground and backed away from it. Alyx, without letting her guard down, approached Barney to make sure he was okay.

"So what exactly do you want with us?" One of the other CPs asked her. Alyx looked at him for a short moment before answering. 

"Look, we're trying to find one of the Combine Advisors that... Never mind. Long story short, we need them dead. But we can't do this alone."

"Why not get some of your rebel buddies to help you?"

"It's a long story."

During the conversation, Barney looked around at the other metrocops in the distance. He noticed that some were crippled with burn scars all over their exposed skin and bloody bandages wrapped around their injuries. Seeing their conditions awakened an idea in Barney's head. Since they were living in substandard conditions, they must be desperate for better living. He could use their current state to convince them to switch sides. He only hoped it would be worth it in the end.

"You know y'all could benefit a lot from this." Barney's eyes met his aggressor as he prepared his proposal.

"What are you talking about?" The CP narrowed his eyes at him.

"Oh come on! Look at you! You've been abandoned by the Combine and now you're livin' by the skin of your teeth in this wasteland! If you help us, we'll give you all a second chance. Free from the dire straits of the Combine. What do ya say?" Barney held out a hand to the CP. He looked at Barney with revulsion and ignored his gesture.

"We don't need your help. We'll be fine on our own."

"I'll join you." Barney and the officer both looked at one of the CPs who was standing on the sidelines of the conflict. She took a step towards them. "You may not want this, but I'm sick of living like this. If he really means he'll give us a chance, then I'm willing to fight alongside him."

"Count me in too." Another CP stepped forward as well in agreement. "Being loyal to the Combine's not worth it anymore. It never has been."

A wave of agreement spread throughout the group and they all began to extend their compliance to Barney and Alyx. It seemed as if all of them were willing to join in the fight. All except the one CP. He stared at them in disbelief. 

"What have you done?" Without warning, he lunged at Barney and began to throttle him to the ground. His grip grew suffocating as he proceeded to squeeze the life out of his victim.

"I should never have let you live! When you die, I will make sure your corpse rots in hell! I swear—"

He was silenced by a piercing gunshot resounding through the air. He fell over lifelessness on the dusty floor with a gaping hole in his temple. Blood leaked out over his face and into his open eyes. Alyx was standing over him with her pistol drawn in front of her. Her breaths were heavy and her gaze held slight annoyance.

"Enough wasting time..." She looked at the group of ex-metrocops. "We have a lot of ground to cover if we want to get to City 18."

Alyx and Barney led the group away from the plaza. Alyx remained silent for the majority of the trip with her steady gaze only focusing on the road ahead. Every muscle in her body was tense with the anxiety of encountering an Advisor. With each step, a worrisome feeling constricted her guts. She knew deep down their small group of eleven might not be enough to match her foe, even though she did not want to admit it. The memories of her father never seemed to leave her mind, which kept a constant reminder of why she was doing this. She was not one to hold the eye for an eye mentality, but the atrocious action committed could never be forgiven. With that, she put her morality on the back burner until everything was said and done. Just a little bit farther to their next destination.

It felt like hours since they left City 17. The trip to City 18 was not as dangerous as anticipated. Areas outside of cities were usually filled with hostile Xen fauna, however, the only encounters they faced were a few headcrabs and some dormant zombies.

City 18 itself was long abandoned 15 years ago when the denizens started a riot within the walls. Barney and Alyx were both there when it happened, and it was the main reason for their departure to City 17. Barney remembered it well. The image of the Cremators burning the citizens alive in the streets and constant violence with Civil Protection was hard to forget. It left him with both physical and metaphorical scars. Alyx was young at the time, but she still carried vivid memories of the inhumanity. It never seemed to bother her as much as Barney though. After all, she knew nothing else.

Along the way, they came across a line of fallen tress and a trail of alien blood. It led into a nearby ravine and, by sheer luck, at the bottom sat an Advisor. It was groaning in pain while its blood leaked in the small stream of water below. Both Alyx and Barney scoped out the scene to make sure no soldiers were around. Barney recoiled back once he saw the Advisor.

"What the hell is that?" He stared wide-eyed at the creature.

"That's an Advisor. Have you seriously never seen one?" Alyx looked at him with a nervous expression.

"No! I thought they were like Breen as an Overwatch soldier or somethin'!" 

Their conversation caught the attention of the Advisor and it floated up out of the ravine.

"This is it!" Alyx aimed and fired rapid shots at the creature. The rest of the group proceeded to shoot it from all directions, but the gunshots seemed to be useless against it. An invisible force pushed the group back as the creature let out a piercing scream. It lifted one of the CPs off the ground and tore their body in half. The sound of their vertebrae twisting and cracking resounded throughout the area as well as their pained screams for help. As their torso split apart, their organs spilled over the dirt in a bloody mound, and their body was discarded in the ravine.

Then it went to grab Alyx. It lifted her off the ground and examined her all around as if looking for the best part to start tearing off. Barney's defending nature kicked in, and he managed to get to his feet and fire an energy orb from his OSIPR right at the creature. It shrieked in pain and dropped Alyx to the ground. One of its mechanical arms was vaporized and some of the skin on its side started to melt off. Despite this, it continued to fight. Another invisible force acted upon the group. This time it was much stronger than the last. Four members were pushed down into the ravine where they plummeted to their death and another three were impaled by low-hanging tree branches. Alyx and Barney were pushed against the rocky ground leaving them with new scrapes and cuts.

The Advisor lifted the last CP from the ground and killed them swiftly with its tongue. Barney struggled to continue the fight as he got on his shaky hands and knees. Alyx used the trunk of a nearby tree to support herself. The two of them looked at each other with fearful eyes and the collective thought that they were not going to make it out alive. Barney noticed a nearby grenade that was dropped from one of the CPs. He grabbed it and managed to get to his feet. The chirping of the grenade echoed in his eardrums as he hobbled over towards the Advisor.

"Barney... Barney don't..." Alyx pleaded with him in between breaths. She attempted to follow him but fell to the ground almost as soon as she let go of the tree. As Barney raised his arm, the Advisor spotted him and lifted him off the ground. As the chirping got faster, he prepared to throw it at just the right moment. But his arm could not move. The Advisor's face was close to his as it prepared to put an end to him with its tongue. He closed his eyes tight, bracing for whatever was to come next.

Moments later, the grenade went off. The powerful blast caused the Advisor to drop Barney to the ground. It screeched loudly holding its damaged face with its singular arm. The gaping hole blown into its face was bleeding profusely, and it did not take long for it to drop dead. 

"No, no, no!" Alyx gathered the strength to get up and hurry to Barney's side. His eyes were still shut while he was groaning in pain. His right arm was reduced to a mangled stub with his shattered humerus sticking out.

"Oh, God... Oh my God..." Alyx covered her mouth with her hand and fought back the tears stinging her eyes. 

"Alyx?" Barney opened his eyes and looked up at her. Alyx looked at him with wide, fearful eyes. "I... I can't feel my arm..." His eyes could barely stay open.

"It's okay... Y-you're going to be okay..." She hovered her hands over his body at a loss of what to do. Regret started to pile inside of her. She had no choice but to help Barney get to his feet and guide him back to White Forest.

"I'm not going to let you die here."


End file.
